Daily Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Christmas 2014 was by far my brightest Christmas. It’s the Christmas that I finally got to hold my precious son, born December 22nd. Being pregnant during the Christmas season definitely gives you pause. I do not pretend to know exactly what Mary felt during those days leading up to her precious Son’s birth but I feel in some way I could relate a little bit better. Pregnancy is always full of anticipation...

My pregnancy with Louis was long anticipated. Blaine and I had prayed for years for a child. We had suffered through two miscarriages, been through years of waiting and praying and been told that we had a very low likelihood of conceiving on our own. After 5 years and multiple failed fertility treatments, we decided to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF). This was not a decision that we took lightly and had pursued and exhausted all of the more conservative treatments. At the end of the day, I asked myself the question, “If I had been diagnosed with cancer (instead of infertility) would I not pursue every type of treatment or cure?” Blaine and I trusted that God’s will would prevail regardless, and we were thankful for the medical option that existed. I cannot imagine, and don’t want to, a world without Louis Blaine Totty IV in it. I am grateful every day to the Giver of Blessings for answering my plea for a child, and the prayers of our family at Meadowbrook were instrumental in pleading alongside us.

In a recent sermon, Ben remarked, “Much of our spiritual life is about waiting.” I would totally agree. God does not tend to work on our timetable; however, His plan is worth the wait. This Advent I pray that we embrace the anticipation...the waiting and preparation for the celebration of the most anticipated birth, the birth of our Savior.

—Kate Totty

If Louis was the answer that we were hoping for from God, Mia came as a surprise blessing. After having Louis with us for a year, we decided that we would try to have a second child and started the process for IVF again. God had other plans. When we went in for the first appointment the standard pregnancy test showed that Kate was pregnant, but in all too familiar news the pregnancy did not look viable.

The news hit us hard, but we were prepared for news like that; it wasn’t the first time. They wanted to perform one more ultrasound to confirm in another week, so we prayed and went in expecting this next miscarriage. We were not at all prepared for what happened next. When the ultrasound began, almost immediately the doctor said that he saw a heartbeat! That was not supposed to be there. We gently asked him how that was possible, show us again, are you sure, where did you get your medical degree... the usual questions. We confirmed that everything looked good a week later and started our fervent prayer for a healthy second child.

Mia was born on July 20th of this year, and I think she must sense that she sneaked into this world by God’s grace. She doesn’t seem to want to upset anyone by crying; her personality is just to smile all the time. God has given us amazing blessings that have brought so much light to our lives. We went through plenty of doubt and darkness in our wait for children, but God’s grace shined light into our lives. We know He doesn’t always choose to answer our prayers in the way that we desire, but we are so grateful that He answered in His timing.

—Blaine Totty